Mel Gibson Is Seriously Moving Forward with a Passion of the Christ Sequel

Mel Gibson is bringing his controversial Hollywood comeback full circle by returning to one of his biggest blockbusters: The Passion of the Christ. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gibson’s sequel to the Christian drama, titled The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection, is picking up steam, with actor Jim Caviezel in talks to reprise his role as Jesus Christ. The actor’s team confirmed to T.H.R. that Caviezel is currently in negotiations with Gibson. It is still unclear whether Gibson would once again co-write and direct the project, though that’s likely a given. Randall Wallace, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter who penned Gibson’s Braveheart, previously told T.H.R. in 2016 that he was working on a “huge and sacred subject.” Wink, nudge, etc.

Gibson has been talking about this project for the last couple of years, telling Stephen Colbert in 2016 that the film was still “about three years off, because it’s a big subject.” He didn’t share any more concrete details about its potential story line, only noting that he would focus slightly less on Christ and more on the people around him.

The original Passion of the Christ, which Gibson co-wrote and directed, was a bloody drama about Christ’s crucifixion, and a massive success in 2004, pulling in nearly $612 million worldwide and earning three Oscar nominations. A sequel seemed like the natural next step, as T.H.R. notes; however, a follow-up never came to fruition as other studios, like Sony, scrambled to release projects that could tap into the dedicated faith-based audience. The sequel was likely stymied when Gibson became a Hollywood pariah around that time, making headlines after being arrested for drunk driving and going on an anti-Semitic rant. Gibson released an apology to the Jewish community, but was essentially blacklisted from the industry for about a decade. During that period, he was also accused of domestic abuse by girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, and could be heard verbally abusing her with harsh and racist language in leaked audio.

Gibson broke back into the mainstream when his 2016 film Hacksaw Ridge started earning praise on the awards-season circuit (and made a healthy $175 million globally on a $40 million budget). The film’s success thrust Gibson on a redemption tour, which came complete with a potential offer from Warner Bros. to direct the Suicide Squad sequel and was capped with a family-friendly role in the comedy Daddy’s Home 2, co-starring Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell.

Now he’s apparently going back to his faith-based blockbuster roots—provided the actor’s past doesn’t get in the way.

Allison Anders, Director

A force of nature, director Allison Anders spearheaded the Miramar Women’s Summit. She got her start in the independent-movie scene in Los Angeles, where she directed Border Radio to success. After the movie’s release in 1987, Anders’s rise continued fortuitously. She went on to earn a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship and, by 2001, directed Don Cheadle to an Emmy nomination for his role in her film Things Behind the Sun. Anders was also among the first group of recipients to receive the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowships screenwriting award for Lost Highway. Since then, she’s directed episodes for a variety of hit television shows including Sex and the City,The L Word,Southland,Orange Is the New Black,Murder in the First and the CW’s latest juggernaut, “Riverdale.”

Kristin Borella, Publicist

Kristin Borella began her career in Hollywood as a young publicist and graduated to being vice president at Bumble Ward & Associates, where she worked with directors Tim Burton and Allison Anders. From there, Borella was promoted to top roles at MGM as senior vice president of national publicity, overseeing all publicity campaigns for the studio’s releases. Borella is currently the associate dean of communications and public relations at USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Photo: Photograph by Art Streiber.

Andrea Sperling, Producer

Producer Andrea Sperling is best known for her work executive producing Jill Soloway’s Emmy and Golden Globe-winning series, Transparent, and the Golden Globe-nominated I Love Dick. With over 30 independent feature films under her belt, Sperling joined Soloway in 2015 at Topple, a film production company which is devoted to making stories that highlight marginalized voices.

Photo: Photograph by Art Streiber.

Tamra Davis, Director

Tamra Davis’s prolific directing career includes music videos, feature films, and television episodes. Davis, who first began her career with music videos for N.W.A and Sonic Youth, made the transition to director of feature films for Guncrazy, which won Drew Barrymore a Golden Globe nomination, and Adam Sandler’sBilly Madison, among others. Davis’s television work includes director credits for Grey’s Anatomy,Ugly Betty,Odd Mom Out,Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Younger.

Photo: Photograph by Art Streiber.

Victoria Hochberg, Director

As an original member of the committee that convinced the Directors Guild of America to sue the film industry on behalf of female members, Emmy winner Victoria Hochberg is an active participant of the women’s fight for equality. Hochberg has served on the D.G.A.’s national board and is head of its global cinema committee. She has directed episodes of Sex and the City,Ally McBeal, and Ghost Whisperer, among others.

Photo: Photograph by Art Streiber.

Photo: Photograph by Art Streiber.

Allison Anders, Director

A force of nature, director Allison Anders spearheaded the Miramar Women’s Summit. She got her start in the independent-movie scene in Los Angeles, where she directed Border Radio to success. After the movie’s release in 1987, Anders’s rise continued fortuitously. She went on to earn a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship and, by 2001, directed Don Cheadle to an Emmy nomination for his role in her film Things Behind the Sun. Anders was also among the first group of recipients to receive the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowships screenwriting award for Lost Highway. Since then, she’s directed episodes for a variety of hit television shows including Sex and the City,The L Word,Southland,Orange Is the New Black,Murder in the First and the CW’s latest juggernaut, “Riverdale.”

Kristin Borella, Publicist

Kristin Borella began her career in Hollywood as a young publicist and graduated to being vice president at Bumble Ward & Associates, where she worked with directors Tim Burton and Allison Anders. From there, Borella was promoted to top roles at MGM as senior vice president of national publicity, overseeing all publicity campaigns for the studio’s releases. Borella is currently the associate dean of communications and public relations at USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Andrea Sperling, Producer

Producer Andrea Sperling is best known for her work executive producing Jill Soloway’s Emmy and Golden Globe-winning series, Transparent, and the Golden Globe-nominated I Love Dick. With over 30 independent feature films under her belt, Sperling joined Soloway in 2015 at Topple, a film production company which is devoted to making stories that highlight marginalized voices.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Elizabeth Stanley, Producer

With a résumé that includes thrillers set in the world of modern-day slavery to motorcycle documentaries, Elizabeth Stanley has worked widely across the film industry. Stanley most recently produced the dark horror series Splatter for Netflix.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Margot Gerber, Publicist

Margot Gerber is president of the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles and a member at Hollywood Heritage. She is an active member of the Hollywood art community and, in addition to heading the marketing and publicity department for the nonprofit the American Cinematheque, Gerber was an active force in landmarking The Hollywood Reporter building.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Jamie Babbit, Director

Director Jamie Babbit is best known for her executive producing and directing titles on HBO’s Silicon Valley. She received a 2017 Emmy nomination for outstanding comedy directing, and has long been celebrated for her role directing the 1999 film But I’m a Cheerleader.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Robin Alper, Writer-entrepreneur

With directing and writing credits to her name, Robin Alper has worked across the media and film industry in a variety of roles. Alper has been the production director of Black Buffalo Ironworks sculpture studio since its start in 2009.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Gwen Wynne, Director

Director Gwen Wynne is the visionary behind the Eos World Fund, an organization devoted to providing funding for female directors. Prior to heading the project, Wynne has worked on numerous film and stage projects, and currently runs the production company Apricot Films.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Marina Zenovich, Documentary filmmaker

Rewarded for her compelling documentaries of Roman Polanski and Richard Pryor, Emmy award winning–filmmaker Marina Zenovich is known for tackling the complexity of men. In 2016, Zenovich’s take on the Duke lacrosse case Fantastic Lies was featured in ESPN’s acclaimed 30 for 30 series, just as her 2017 film chronicling government corruption and the water crises in California debuted to critical acclaim. Her most recent documentary, Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind is slated to be shown on HBO later this year.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Martha Coolidge, Director

Martha Coolidge was elected the first—and only—female president of the D.G.A. in 2002. She’s put stars like Nicolas Cage and Val Kilmer on the map with the comedies Valley Girl and Real Genius. Coolidge is also known for the drama Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, which earned 11 Emmy nominations, two NAACP Awards, a SAG Award, and a Golden Globe for Halle Berry. Coolidge’s film also introduced the world to the movie’s writer, Shonda Rhimes. Coolidge has served on the boards of the A.F.I., the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and Women in Film.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Maya Smukler, Film historian

Film historian Maya Smukler got her start as an assistant to director Allison Anders. From there, Smukler worked at independent distribution company, Women Make Movies, and has continued to surround herself with the industry’s illustrious history. She has an upcoming book on the subject, *Liberating Hollywood: Women Directors and the Feminist Reform of 1970s American Cinema,*set for release by Rutgers University Press. Smukler currently teaches at the New School and U.C.L.A.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Martha Little, Writer-Producer

After securing the rights to the story of the first all-African-American basketball team to win the NCAA championship, Martha Little partnered with Warner Brothers to develop Disney’s Glory Road. Her work writing and producing has since centered on a variety of themes ranging from L.B.J.’s 1941 Senate election scandal to the 1st century Roman occupation of Great Britain.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Angela Robinson, Director

Director Angela Robinson has moved fluidly between film and television throughout her career. With network deals with ABC and HBO, she has worked as a consulting producer on How to Get Away with Murder, and as executive producer on True Blood and The L Word. She most recently directed Professor Marston and The Wonder Women, starring Luke Evans and Rebecca Hall.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Michelle Satter, Sundance

As the founding director of Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, Michelle Satter has forged relationships with a sparkling cast of rising creatives. During her tenure in the Feature Film Program, Satter has worked with Dee Rees,Damien Chazelle,Ryan Coogler,Paul Thomas Anderson, and Kimberly Peirce, to name a few. Satter established the Sundance Institute’s international initiatives as well as its Global Filmmaking Award. She most recently created Sundance’s New Frontier Story Lab, which aims to encourage new artists, as well as the Episodic Program for YouTube.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Donna Deitch, Director

Director Donna Deitch boldly splashed onto the film-festival circuit with her 1985 lesbian love story Desert Hearts. Since then, she’s worked with Oprah Winfrey on the ABC miniseries The Women of Brewster Place, and has directed numerous hours of television for network favorites including Grey’s Anatomy,N.Y.P.D. Blue,E.R.,Heroes, and Law & Order: S.V.U.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Jodi Cahn, Negotiation Consultant

A negotiation consultant, Jodi Cahn has written, directed, and produced works internationally. She is a producer on Dan Mazer’s “Stiff” and is currently in development projects with H2O Motion Pictures.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Shana Eddy-Grouf, Executive

Shana Eddy-Grouf has worn several hats throughout her career, serving most prominently as the E.V.P. of international production and development for Studiocanal. Prior to her position at Studiocanal, Eddy-Grouf was a literary agent for United Talent Agency. Eddy-Grouf names Eight Days a Week, a documentary on the Beatles, to her roster of credits, and has upcoming projects slated with Liam Neeson and Rosamund Pike.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Cari Beauchamp, Writer

Cari Beauchamp is the award-winning author of Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Powerful Women of Early Hollywood, and five other books of film history. A Vanity Fair contributor, Beauchamp has written and produced documentaries, serves as the resident scholar of the Mary Pickford Foundation, and is the only person to twice be named an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences scholar. She was also the first president of the National Women’s Political Caucus of California, served as press secretary to Governor Jerry Brown, and managed numerous campaigns for women candidates.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Nina Menkes, Filmmaker

Filmmaker Nina Menkes is known for embodying a variety of roles on her movie sets and has served as director, writer, camera operator, and sound editor. Menkes earned a Guggenheim Fellowship, two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, and two Fulbrights after graduating from U.C.L.A.’s film school. She’s since become a consummate global filmmaker. Her projects have debuted across the world from Sundance to Rotterdam. She is currently developing a new feature thriller and is a faculty member at California Institute of the Arts.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Lisa Kotin, Writer-performer

After graduating from N.Y.U.’s Tisch School of the Arts, Lisa Kotin has performed across the U.S. and U.K. She is currently developing her 2016 book, My Confection: Odyssey of a Sugar Addict, into a screenplay for television.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Tara Veneruso, Director

Tara Veneruso is a celebrated feature director known for her behind-the-scenes documentaries of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and films on musician Rufus Wainwright and singer Pitbull. Since then, she’s lectured at U.C.L.A. and Loyola Marymount University, and has lead seminars for Netflix, Sony, and SAG-AFTRA, among others. Veneruso also consults for film festivals such as Sundance, Directors Guild of America, and the A.F.I. Fest. After Miramar, Veneruso created the First Weekenders Group and the MoviesbyWomen site. Veneruso has spent the past 10 years working on Girl, a feature documentary about the lives of working-class teenage girls in the Midwest.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Susan Glatzer, Documentary filmmaker

While working as a Hollywood studio executive, the projects Susan Glatzer oversaw earned 19 Academy Award nominations with 7 wins. Glatzer, who served as senior vice president for the Motion Picture Group at Paramount Pictures, has developed television pitches for HBO, Showtime, Bravo, and ABC, among others. She is currently a documentary filmmaker.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Tamra Davis, Director

Tamra Davis’s prolific directing career includes music videos, feature films, and television episodes. Davis, who first began her career with music videos for N.W.A and Sonic Youth, made the transition to director of feature films for Guncrazy, which won Drew Barrymore a Golden Globe nomination, and Adam Sandler’sBilly Madison, among others. Davis’s television work includes director credits for Grey’s Anatomy,Ugly Betty,Odd Mom Out,Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Younger.

Photograph by Art Streiber.

Victoria Hochberg, Director

As an original member of the committee that convinced the Directors Guild of America to sue the film industry on behalf of female members, Emmy winner Victoria Hochberg is an active participant of the women’s fight for equality. Hochberg has served on the D.G.A.’s national board and is head of its global cinema committee. She has directed episodes of Sex and the City,Ally McBeal, and Ghost Whisperer, among others.